Video summary
The speaker discusses their recent migration to a new Apple Silicon M4 Mini computer and shares an effective strategy for transferring applications without relying on the Migration Assistant tool. After deciding that waiting was sufficient time to pass, they wanted to ensure no apps or data were left behind during the switch. To achieve this, they created multiple backups of their old Mac while keeping it running as a safety net in case any files were needed later. This approach allowed them to focus specifically on reinstalling software manually rather than relying entirely on automated transfer utilities that might miss certain items.
A key component of this migration process involved using Homebrew casks, which the speaker explains are essential for installing third-party applications outside of the Mac App Store. While the Mac App Store acts as a package manager for its own apps, there is no equivalent built-in system for managing all other external software; however, Homebrew covers approximately 85% of these needs by acting as that missing package manager. The speaker had previously adopted this method on their old machine to keep applications updated alongside the operating system, which allowed them to generate a comprehensive list of installed casks and simply reinstall those specific items on the new computer with ease.
This workflow proved particularly beneficial because it gave the user full control over what software was being transferred to the new device. During the reinstallation process from the generated list, the speaker had an opportunity to review each application and remove any that were no longer necessary, effectively decluttering their system before moving forward. The experience highlighted a significant improvement in organizational efficiency compared to previous methods, demonstrating how adopting Homebrew casks can streamline computer upgrades by ensuring nothing is forgotten during the transition between machines.
Ultimately, the speaker concludes that despite initial hesitation about installing apps through an intermediary like Homebrew instead of directly from developers, this method has become highly reliable and efficient for modern Mac users. The upgrade to a machine with more RAM also contributed noticeably to improved performance compared to their previous 16GB M1 Mini model. By combining careful backup strategies with the structured approach of managing applications via casks, migrating to new hardware becomes less stressful and ensures that both data and software are successfully preserved on the latest system.
Read the full video transcript
So, I mentioned, Adam, that I migrated
to that new M4 Mini, the reverb that I
bought, and it it's it's been fine.
I chose to not do migration assistant on
this because it's been a while and, you
know, I figured it was fine. It was
time, right? So, uh, but I wanted to
make sure that I didn't miss getting any
apps moved over. Obviously, I want to
make sure I didn't miss getting any data
moved over. So, I did multiple backups
of my old Mini, and I still haven't
recommissioned it yet. Uh, so if I need
to get something, it's still running.
But what I found was for installing apps
specifically
using homebrew casks to install not just
the like homebrew is great for
installing terminal apps. Casks are the
the way that homebrew installs like
regular apps on your Mac. Apps that live
in the applications folder. Apps that
you would download from places that
aren't the Mac App Store. Right? The Mac
App Store is kind of a package manager
for the apps that it manages and then
there's no package manager for all the
other third party apps that you have.
And while Homebrew doesn't have all the
other third party apps, it has probably
85% of them. And
I had started doing this on my old Mac
because that um you know Mac updater
went away sadly. And there is a new app
out that kind of does what Mac updater
did. I wish it did all the things called
update test. U D A T S. I'll put a link
in the show notes. We've talked about it
before on the show. And the way one of
the ways that it helps you keep apps
updated is it adopts them into homebrew
casks. But what that meant was I had all
of my apps in homebrew casks and you can
export a list of all of the apps that
you have installed and then just have
your new Mac install them over there.
Now I went through the list and made
sure I wasn't installing things that I
didn't need anymore. uh but having them
installed that way really made life
easier for migrating to uh a new
computer. And and so I know we've talked
about this on the show a few different
ways, but it was the first time that I'd
seen a
marketked difference in my workflow and
my organizational life because of it.
And so I wanted to share kind of this
real world thing. It's it worked pretty
well. So,
I don't know if you've if you've
installed any apps with casks, but I'd
hesitated for a while because it's like,
well, I want to get them from the
developer. And they are coming from the
developer. It's just that homebrew is
kind of becoming the package manager for
it. So,
>> sure.
>> Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty good. So,
anyway, that's my
>> It works.
>> Yeah. [clears throat] And the new M4
Mini is great. It I I should have done
this a while ago, but you know, that's
[laughter] how things go.
>> Yeah. So,
>> that's not surprising. Yeah, that's just
how it is. Um, it and I think RAM is as
much of a difference as the, you know,
because I'm going from a 16 gig M1 mini
to a 24 gig M4 mini. So it makes it
makes a